A Productive Day

9:58 PM
Aprille’s dining room

Today was productive. I got up, showered, dressed and took the meds before heading off to an appointment that didn’t exist. Well, it does, just not until next Monday. Got the week wrong. Having proven the time-space continuum theory I sent out a text message to three free-during-the-day friends that I would much appreciate a rat wrangler as I made a go at cleaning said rats cages. Gina arrived at my house shortly after I did and tried to mix her rat wrangling with some very stitch count intensive knitting. I could have told her that her multitasking was fruitless in the face of three to four rats all vying for her attention (and when not getting it resorting to chewing the bedding or knocking random objects off the table). Somehow it all worked out and when Gina had to leave she was escorted to the door by a very friendly, if not distracted, Jack. It may be argued that Jack had really come out to try and steal food from Gramma and Mom who were enjoying leftovers at the time, but I really think that was just a sideline perk to the whole escorting business.

Tried out the new food I’m supposed to be running a trial on with the rats. They were not pleased about it. After some tentative nibbles on the trial product they all came to me with sad, disappointed faces. I’m ashamed to admit that didn’t have the heart to deny them so…I may have put some yummy seed mix in there for them. I could have sworn I heard a choir singing the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus when they discovered it and had their first rapturous bites. “This never happened,” I told them.

I got some other things done around the house as well but they are much too boring to be written about. So was my blood test. The results of the test, however, earned me an after-hours concerned phone call from my doctor and much frustration on my part for not being able to bring up my potassium by any significant amount even after loyal pill gulping and a high-potassium Boost shake right before the blood test.

After all that it was time for an escape so I kidnapped Aprille from work and we went to Barnes and Noble where I bought her a drink to make up for the particularly cruel way in which I had kidnapped her. By the way, only part of that last sentence is true. You be the detective.

Aprille and I talked about spirituality which is a hot topic among the friends right now. I’m the only pagan in the group so I have a different take on a lot of things. Sometimes people get it, sometimes they don’t. It doesn’t really matter to me as long as they don’t burn me at the stake.

I could write more on that subject, but it’s late, I’m tired and I’ve been talking about it all evening so I’m thinking I’ll just leave it there for now. Hopefully I’ll be more inspired later.

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Colonoscopy Craziness

After two days of fasting and bowel prep (leaving me nauseous, constantly sleeping and 5 lbs smaller) I went in for my colonoscopy on Friday. I had asked multiple times during the previous week if anesthesia had been scheduled since I'd had to cancel the year before because someone didn't schedule them. On Friday none of the nurses could access my port (which has been moody lately) and I had to have an IV put in. I was ready to go when the doc noticed anesthesia hadn't been scheduled!!! A nurse tried to get someone to come but anesthesia was booked for the rest of the day. So home I went. We were NOT happy.

Saturday I ate very little since I was still nauseous from the prep. Sunday I started prepping all over with 5 different laxatives (since I can't take the one they would normally use). It didn't clean me out as well as I would have liked but I was guessing that doing a prep so soon after the other one was part of the reason. Also, I only fasted for one day this time. I wasn't going to starve myself and I was low enough of vitamins already. I did my best and went in today. Again my port couldn't be accessed and I had to have an IV. I went under full anesthesia even though I have possible bronchitis.

When I woke up the doctor told me they hadn't been able to do anything because I was FOS (Full Of Stool). So now we have to reschedule AGAIN. That is, if I consent. I'm kinda feeling like I'm done.

In other news my MELD is 15, and apparently I'm having some sort of problems because I had to have extra blood tests done over the weekend. Guess we'll find out about that.

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"Blood and Guts Stuff"

My nose has been bleeding all day. This does not make me happy because now I have one of those little raw, stinging spots on my nostril.

I went and got a blood test today after consulting Rayne, a brainless phlebotomist and my mother as to whether I could still go even though I had taken Imitrex. Obviously, I went. And apparently they're still taking ammonia levels on me because the guy put one of the tubes in a bad of ice. The ammonia levels tell them how badly my brain is working. And it's usually bad. At least I can still blog, right? And I know who my family is.

Oh, and outside the lab they had a cart with two boxes of masks on them and signs saying you had to wear one if you had any of the symptoms listed. Well, I had just about every symptom on there so...I wore the stupid mask. At least it kept my face warm...

I'm keeping my mask to wear when I go to the doctor's tomorrow. This is for purely selfish reasons. I don't want any of the crap other people are bringing into that office. Plus, they'd probably make me wear it anyway.

But hey, I look downright sexy in those masks. I do. Really.

After a long nap I put in another load of laundry, emptied my trash bin and puttered around on Facebook before I made a couple of medical phone calls. One was to UNMC to alert them to my incoming blood test results and also to ask them about the progress of the port issue.

You see, all of my sick friends have ports and love them. It's like an IV under the skin that you can keep for years. Hello convinence, goodbye IV pokes! I've begged and pleaded for one and now it looks like it's actually happening. The nurse at UNMC is going to email my doctor about it and then set up the surgery date.

Now, it will be risky since I'm in a pretty fragile state to go into surgery and the port has the possibility of infection, but my sick friends are either as sick as me or more so and they haven't had any problems. So I'm pretty confident about the whole thing. This port will get me through my waiting time, transplant and beyond!

I plan to spend the rest of my day doing more laundry and reading.

P.S. The title is one of Jo's lines from 'Little Women'

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